US & Canada jurisdiction

Public liability for UK businesses working in the USA

Yes — Apex places public liability with US territorial limits and jurisdiction for UK businesses working in the United States: a panel or conference, an exhibition or trade show, a film or photo shoot in a hired studio, a pop-up, or client meetings on site. It includes cover for the venues you hire and the certificates they ask for.

Part of: Commercial insurance

In short

UK businesses increasingly travel to the US for events, filming, exhibitions and client work. A hired venue or studio will often require public liability with US jurisdiction, a minimum limit per occurrence, and a certificate naming them as an additional insured — and the hire agreement usually makes you responsible for damage to the premises, its contents and its equipment while they are in your care. A standard UK public liability policy is commonly written ‘worldwide excluding USA and Canada’, so it would not respond. We place cover with full US jurisdiction, a hired-in premises extension, and the certificates venues require — for a single trip or as an annual policy. We do not publish premiums, but annual US-jurisdiction public liability is often only marginally more than a one-off and covers the next trip too.

When a UK business needs US public liability

This is the cover for a UK business doing something physical in the US, however short. The common triggers:

What you are doing in the US	The exposure
Speaking on a panel or at a conference	Injury to attendees or damage at a hired venue, claimed in a US court
Exhibiting at a trade show	Public liability on the stand, plus the show organiser’s insurance requirements
Filming or a photo shoot in a hired studio	Damage to the studio, its contents and equipment in your care, custody or control
A pop-up, launch or demo	Public liability for visitors and the venue
Client meetings or site visits	Third-party injury or damage while you are on their premises

In each case the venue or client is likely to ask for evidence of cover with US jurisdiction before they let you in the door.

What the cover needs to include

For a US engagement, the public liability usually needs to do four things:

US territorial limits and jurisdiction — so a claim brought in a US court is covered, not just one brought in the UK.
A limit the venue specifies — US venues and organisers commonly set a minimum per-occurrence limit, and we place cover to meet it.
Hired-in premises / tenants’ legal liability — cover for damage to the hired venue or studio, and to its contents and equipment while they are in your care, custody or control, which is exactly what the hire agreement makes you responsible for.
The ability to name the venue as additional insured on a certificate of insurance — see additional insured and client naming.

Why standard UK public liability will not respond

The catch is that the public liability most UK businesses already carry will not respond to a US claim:

Jurisdiction. Standard UK policies are commonly written ‘worldwide excluding USA and Canada’. That is the exclusion that bites the moment you work in the US — see territorial and jurisdiction limits explained.
No hired-premises extension. A basic policy may not cover damage to premises you hire, which is the very thing a studio’s rental agreement makes you liable for.
Certificates and additional insured. A UK-only policy may not let you issue the US-style certificate, naming the venue, that you will be asked for.

None of this makes the trip uninsurable. It means the cover has to be arranged for a US engagement specifically.

Short-term for the trip, or annual

You have two sensible routes, and we will tell you which fits:

Short-term, for the dates. A policy covering just the trip works when it is a one-off, and can usually be arranged at short notice once we have the details.
Annual, with US jurisdiction. If you travel to the US more than once, an annual public liability with US jurisdiction is often easier to place at short notice and only marginally more than a one-off — and it covers the next trip without starting again.

If the dates are tight, that is routine — see business insurance at short notice. And if you also advise US clients from the UK, your professional indemnity and cyber need US jurisdiction too, for the same reason.

Why place US-jurisdiction cover through Apex

Apex Insurance Brokers is an independent commercial insurance broker established in 2009 and based in Bristol, owned entirely by its directors and directly authorised by the FCA since 2016. We are not tied to any single insurer, we do not run our own policy or underwriting, and we have no placement quotas. We have access to over 30 markets, including Lloyd’s syndicates via wholesale — where US-jurisdiction cover is written — and every client has a named broker who can turn a certificate around when a venue asks for one.

Owned by its directors, not for sale. No consolidator, no private-equity owner, no external shareholders — and we have declined approaches to buy the firm. Read the Apex Independence Charter.
Independent, not tied. No single-insurer scheme, no in-house policy, no placement quotas — the recommendation is the one that fits, not the one we are paid to push.
Over 30 markets, including Lloyd’s. Specialist UK PI insurers and Lloyd’s syndicates via wholesale, so a risk that one underwriter dislikes can still be placed properly with another.
Usually three or four competing quotes, laid out side by side — limit, excess, retroactive date, exclusions and premium — with a plain-language note on the trade-offs.
The stay-put letter. If your existing cover is right, we say so in writing, free and without obligation. How the stay-put letter works.
A named broker all year. The person who places your cover is the person who picks up the phone at renewal, on a mid-term change, or when a letter of claim lands.
Director-level attention on claims. We help you notify circumstances early and in the right form, stay involved once the insurer’s panel solicitors are appointed, and tell you plainly where you stand.
Directly authorised by the FCA since 2016, not an appointed representative trading under someone else’s permissions.

Frequently asked

Can you cover a UK business for just two dates in the US?

Yes. A short-term public liability policy covering the trip works well for a one-off, and can usually be arranged at short notice once we have the details of what you are doing and where.

The venue wants to be named as additional insured — can you do that?

Yes. Once cover is bound we issue a certificate of insurance naming the venue as an additional insured, matching the wording the venue has specified. See additional insured and client naming.

Does my existing UK public liability already cover a US event?

Usually not. Many UK policies are written ‘worldwide excluding USA and Canada’, so a claim brought in a US court would fall outside the jurisdiction. It is worth checking the wording rather than assuming — see territorial and jurisdiction limits.

What about damage to the hired studio or venue itself?

That is covered by a hired-in premises or tenants’ legal liability extension, which responds to damage to the premises and to contents and equipment in your care, custody or control — the exposure a studio’s rental agreement puts on you.

Heading to the US for work?

Tell us the dates, what you’re doing and any venue requirement you’ve been given, and we’ll place public liability with the right US jurisdiction — and issue the certificate the venue needs. Or call 0117 325 0027.

Get a quote Request a callback

Apex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales, company number 07014570. This page is general information about public liability insurance, not advice on your individual circumstances, and it does not guarantee that cover will be available or on what terms.